Written by

Maria Sonnenberg
| For FLORIDA TODAY

When the World Bromeliad Conference convened in Orlando earlier this year, Karen Andreas couldn't keep away. It was at that kind of plant show 25 years ago where Andreas first became enamored with the versatile bromeliads.

"I saw an article in the paper about one of these shows, and I went to check it out," says the former Brevard County commissioner. "It was like, holy cow, these are really strange and wonderful plants."

With a large family that encompasses more than 3,000 species, bromeliads come in all shapes and sizes. Plants can range from giant 15-foot specimens, like the one Andreas is ...